Car coupling



T. E. McCARTHY.

CAR COUPLING.

APFLICAUON FILED NOV. I4, 1921 Patented May 16, 1922.

THOMAS E. MCCARTHY, OF TWO HARBORS, MINNESOTA.

CAR COUPLING.

isses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented inlay in, 1192322,

Application filed Blot/ember 14, 1921. Serial No. 514,850,

To all 'lj'lbOWZ- it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'lnonas E. McCAIe THY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Two Harbors, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplings, of which the following is a specification, reference being: had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to car couplers and has special reference to means for indicating accidentally broken knuckle pins in draw bar heads. The rincipal object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby a broken knuckle pin will be instantly and prominently indicated so that a trainman will readily detect same and thus avoid many serious accidents now resulting from such broken pins.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the further descrip tion thereof.

Referring to the accompanying dra vine; forming part of this application in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

The figure is an elevation of a common .draw bar head such as found in the Tower or Janey coupler.

The common draw bar head is provided with a vertically disposed knuckle pin 1 which pivotally supports the'knuckle 2, the body portion of the head being indicated These pins are usually held in position against dislodgement vertically by a common' cotter pin indicated at 4, and, as is well known to those versed in the art of rail reading, the pins l are frequently broken. l/Vhen such an accident happens the lower portion of the pin will drop out of the hole in which it had been originally housed. in this condition a car may proceed upon its journey with no one having knowledge of the fact that the pin was broken and have frequently have led with a pin thus broken some considerable distance. from torty to fifty miles depending upon individual cir cumstanccs, with the. upper portion only of the pin holding, until finally the coupling is broken or lets go, frequently resulting; in serious accidents.

Had the trainmen known of the broken pm 1n the coupler they would doubtless have remedied same before an accident occurred formed integral with the lower portion of the body 3 oi the head and which finger extends out 'ardly eci'itrally of the hole in which the pin is located and which will prevent the falling,- out of the lower portion of;

a broken pin. However such ,a device is not considerml adequate for the purpose, as if, under such circumstances. a pin is broken the lower end will simply drop slightly until arrested by the linger where it would not be observed nor given attention, for it would not appear any ditlercnt from a solid or perfect pin.

in my presentinvention I attach to the head ot the cotter t a short piece of chain 5, which. at the othcrcnd, is attached to a suitable eye-bolt (3. or other fastening as desired. in the lower halt of the body portion 3 of the head. This chain is made suliiciently long to permit 01* preferably at least onehal'l ot the pin to tall completely out of the hole-and rflang le as it were down from the draw bar head as shown in dotted lines at '7. Thus being' suspended from the head it hecomcs instantly discernible at a reasonable distance by any trainnian and ma kcs it pos sible for the defect to be corrected before an accident occurs to the train.

it is to be understood that'the chain and pin may be of various forms and the chain attached otherwise than as shown. but the broad com-option oi the invention obvious and clearly pointed out in the tollowing claims.

l. The combination with a draw bar head having a vertically disposed knuckle pin therein and a cotter key through the lower cud ot' the pin for retaining it in position, oi flexible suspending: n'ieans attached at one end to the key and at the other end to the draw ar head whereby the lower portion of a broken pin will drop from the head and be suspended thcrotron'l for the purpose described.

2. "llhe con'ihinatio'n with the knuckle pin of a draw bar head of the character detilt? scribed, 01" means a; p; 'zestimony Wher'd "euniio affix my movement of $2M SIQEULRHS 111 the pz'ese'lce 0;? W0 witnssses.

1 pin W, in refimn m Suspension head this iowcr PUPL'LOH UL mlght be zwclden'tzlliy (iicmched 1 Witnesses: upper portion who to pronnhenfly in- I am,

die-ate ilnpen jling Q nngclx S. Grim 5*! ITEMS. 

